Silver Forest
by Phreddrick
Summary: The Doctor encounters a very special painting.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who in any way, shape or form.

Quinn pushed open the screen door of the cafe, causing the tarnished bells hanging on it to jingle merrily. It was an old door. The cheery yellow paint was beginning to fade, leaving specks of white from an earlier coat. The screen had turned the dull brown-grey colour that old screens tended to turn. Quinn's hand left the round, speckled bronze door handle as she stepped up into the cafe in a familiar swing of her leg as she had done almost every day for the past four years she had worked there leaving the door to swing back into place with a loud clank. As soon as she was inside, she groped along the wall for the light switch. When she finally found it, she flipped it up and the entire cafe was bathed in a soft yellow glow. As always, she pocketed her key then looked around quickly to make sure everything was in its proper place. As her eyes skimmed the wall, they rested on a brief moment on the painting of the birch forest hanging on the wall.

Quinn walked over to the counter in five swift steps and grabbed her stained apron from where it always hung on the hook on the wall then went in back to the kitchen to grab herself a cup of tea.

Within ten minutes of her initial arrival, she heard the bells on the door ring. She walked back to the dining area of the cafe with her tea and saw a young man standing with her back to her closing the door. He was wearing a long brown coat with blue pants and red sneakers. She cleared her throat.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

The man turned around slowly.

"Yes," he said simply. Quinn was captivated by his abstruse brown eyes. There was something different about him, but she couldn't quite place what it was.

"I'm looking for someone," he continued, cheerily, "The name is... Miss. Anaba."

He looked at her expectantly. Quinn was reminded of a first grader that had done a good deed and was impatiently waiting for his sticker.

Quinn smiled brightly, "Well, you've certainly come to the right place! In fact, you're speaking to her."

The man looked at her, confused.

"No. You..." he paused, "Would you mind telling me what year it is?"

Now it was Quinn's turn to look confused, "Two thousand nine, of course."

"Oh no! That means... at least... forty years late. At least..." he trailed off, "Would you mind telling me your mother's name?"

Something about the man made her trust him, "Annabelle. Annabelle Anaba."

The man looked more confused than he did before which seemed like it would be hard to do.

"Annabelle? Are you sure? It wasn't Omara?"

Quinn stared at him. "That was my grandmother's name. How did you know that?"

"Ohhh dear..." the man muttered, "Much more than forty years late. Many many more..."

"How did you know my grandmother's name?" Quinn repeated louder.

"It's a long story," replied the man.

"Which is just your way of saying that you don't want to tell it, right? Who are you anyways?"

"Just call me... The Doctor, that's it."

Quinn sighed, "Alright. If that's what you go by... fine."

The Doctor looked around.

"Ohhh! You still have the painting! Brilliant!" the Doctor exclaimed, finally showing some energy, "Could I have a cup of coffee by the way?"

Quinn walked to the coffee machine and poured the Doctor a cup of coffee.

"Want anything in it?" she called back into the dining area, but all she heard was a strange buzzing noise and occasional mutterings.

"I guess not then," she said to herself, walking back to the Doctor.

She found him staring intently at the painting of the trees her grandmother had painted.

"Amazing. It still has some energy left. It's almost as if... no... that couldn't be."

"Here's your coffee, Doctor," Quinn said. Since he paid her no mind, she followed up with, "Do you want it or not? It's getting cold."

The Doctor straightened up and turned around.

* * *

"Yes, yes. That would be lovely." He grabbed the mug and took a sip. 


	2. Chapter 2

Notes:

* * *

In the first chapter, I seem to have accidentally left some of my strange ramblings in the beginning. They actually have nothing to do with the story or anything, but I can't figure out how to get rid of them. Also, I forgot to mention that I (obviously) do not own Doctor Who. One more thing before I get on with the story: it would be really wonderful if you would write constructive reviews about this (I will love you forever!!) It would help me out a lot if you would do this!

The Doctor paused, mug halfway to his lips.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.

"No. I don't hear..." she broke off for now she _could_ hear something. It sounded a lot like...

"Hoofbeats," the Doctor said decisively.

The sound of hoofbeats filled the cafe. It echoed off the walls and created an almost deafening cacophony of sound.

The Doctor took something out of his pocket. Quinn couldn't quite see what it was. He held it up and pointed it at the painting. Now, a buzzing noise joined the hoofbeats. Quinn put her hands up to her ears, trying to block out some of the sound.

The Doctor began yelling something. Quinn felt like it was probably important, but she couldn't make out what he was saying, so she yelled back trying to make him understand that she couldn't hear.

All of a sudden, Quinn was on the ground, covered in mud as a large swooshing object flew past her head. The Doctor was lying on top of her. The sound of hoofbeats slowly quieted.

The Doctor rolled off of her.

"I said 'duck'. Why does nobody ever listen to me?"

Quinn looked up. She could see blue sky.

"Where are we?" she asked, confused. The Doctor sat up.

"We are on the planet Jiopureapyong. It roughly translates into english as 'home of large hoofed animals'. That painting of yours was is actually alien technology. I seem to have activated it with my sonic screwdriver," with that, he took out a little silver thing and twirled it between his fingers, "It transported us here. It's actually very interesting how it works..." he trailed off, seeing her face, "It's a bit of a shock, isn't it. One moment, safe at home, next, in a whole new world."

"Yeah. A bit of a shock," Quinn repeated, looking around. It was exactly as the painting had shown. She sat up in a deep bed of dark green moss. Silver birch trees surrounded them. Quinn got up and walked over to the nearest tree.

"It's actual silver," she said to herself, putting a hand out to touch it, "Doctor, how do you know about this?"

She turned around. He was nowhere in sight.

"Doctor?"


	3. Chapter 3

Note: I still do not own Doctor Who.

"Doctor?" Quinn shrieked, starting to panic. He was the only person who knew where they were and could, presumably, get her back home.

A brown tuft of hair stuck out of a nearby bush, soon followed by brown eyes, a nose and a mouth that opened to say:

"Come look at this."

Quinn sighed with relief. So there he was. She walked over to the Doctor and looked at the thing he had found.

"It's a sonic screwdriver," he said looking at her confused expression, "Now, this is very curious because it is _my _sonic screwdriver."

"A sonic _screwdriver?"_ Quinn said, "Why a screwdriver? Why not something a little more, well, useful?"

"Oi! It is useful!" the Doctor said, sounding offended, "But that's not the point. I want to know how it got here before we did. And it's been here for a while. I would estimate... about one thousand years," he paused, thinking, "that's weird."

"What is?"

"Nothing!" he smiled brightly, "Anyways, we better be getting a move on."


	4. Chapter 4

Note: I apologize for how short these chapters are. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with it and it's hard to keep my attention for too long.

And I still don't own Doctor Who.

The Doctor picked up the sonic screwdriver- his sonic screwdriver- and twirled it around in his fingers.

"Come along," he said cheerfully.

"No," Quinn said, "I'm not moving from this spot until you answer some questions."

"Alright then," the Doctor sighed, "Ask away!"

"Oh, um... who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor!" he replied cheerfully.

"You've mentioned," Quinn muttered darkly, "I mean, first of all, where are you from?"

"I am from the planet Gallifrey."

"You mean... you're an alien?"

"Yes." he answered simply.

"Oh... Well, that's... nice," Quinn answered faintly.

The Doctor sat down on a nearby rock.

Quinn stared at him, taking in his human looking brown hair, brown eyes, long brown coat on top of a blue suit. He couldn't be an alien, could he? He looked so... human. Quinn's stare was broken off by the desperate need to blink. When she opened her eyes, the Doctor as well as all his human looking traits were gone.

Quinn looked around wildly. Was this just some alien technology he had used to make himself invisible?

"Doctor? Are you there?" when she got no answer, she became worried, "Doctor! You don't have to prove anything to me! I'll accept that you're an alien! Please don't abandon me here!" her voice rose in hysterics.

She looked around wildly, suddenly deeply afraid of being heard. Her eyes rested for a moment on one of the silver birch trees. There was something different about it, but she didn't know what. She walked over to it, narrowly avoiding stepping on the- what did he call it?- sonic screwdriver, that was it. The Doctor must have dropped it. She impulsively picked it up. She was standing next to the tree that had caught her attention. She looked up at its slender trunk. There was something carved on it. Quinn peered closer. It almost looked like... the sonic screwdriver?

She looked at the one in her hand. It had a button on its side. She pressed it and suddenly she was back in the cafe, staring at the painting.


End file.
